<p>I definitely recommend a visit to a large manufacturing plant before you graduate. I had the pleasure of a visiting a John Deere plant here in Iowa where they assemble combines and the experience blew my mind.</p>
<p>Sometimes it is hard to get a good idea of what you may be doing after you graduate if you have not been exposed to any type of manufacturing/industrial setting but once you see things happening in front of your eyes, it is almost like everything you learned in class starts to make way more sense.</p>
<p>After I visited this plant, It was much easier to understand what Just in Time Production means in real life and you can clearly see how they utilize Lean Manufacturing extensively in every step of the assembly process. Amazing experience!</p>
<p>Great idea! Our ASME group in college toured a few plants. From our remote location, it meant a long charter bus ride. But very worthwhile! </p>
<p>My best IE experience was a project in work design class where we had to analyze fast food operations - sketch a diagram of the counter workspaces and food prep / cook / assembly stations,identify employees, and track / document. Did this at McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Boston Market (largely RIP). </p>
<p>McD’s had done its homework and their workers did not bump each other and worked reasonably efficiently.</p>
<p>Wendy’s thought about proper work design but did not worry too much about it.</p>
<p>Boston Market, well, ummm… They looked like they read the information on work design and basically did the exact opposite. Chaos central.</p>
<p>We did some field trips (not as many as undergrads) but the usual ooh and aah rustbelt factories. </p>
<p>Just for fun, a few years later I was doing a project for a major commercial vehicle manufacturer (trucks) and we visited their brand new plant. Everything - and I mean everything - was done by hand. Rosie the Riveter galore. I finally gave up and asked the plant manager what’s the most automated piece of equipment in the plant. Without missing a beat he pointed me to the vending machines in the break room =)) </p>
<p>I’ve also toured the pharma plant my wife used to work (she did some of the software that runs the production line for a couple of very well known drugs). These guys had it down to a science. A huge ASRS, everything RFID’d and tagged, tablet PC’s for the operators, the works. </p>
<p>Although I’m not an IE, I had the privilege of seeing the Boeing Plant up in Everett, WA where they assemble the jumbo jets. It was MIND-BLOWING. </p>
<p>Def would encourage engineering students to never pass up an opportunity to tour a real plant because it’s probably unlike anything you’ve ever seen. </p>